Miscellaneous
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all -Emily Dickinson was clearly onto something when she penned these famous lines. Across countless generations, birds have captivated our imaginations with their incredible beauty, their staggering diversity, and their unique talents. For Dr. Scott Edwards, birds are fascinating organisms with a rich and complex evolutionary history, but they are also harbingers of hope at a moment when we sorely need it.Scott joins Jocelyn and Bradley to discuss his work as an ornithologist, evolutionary biologist, and curator at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. He explains how he uses a variety of techniques—even applying cutting-edge genomic analysis to specimens collected during the Lewis & Clark expedition!—to trace the evolution of new traits in birds. In addition, he shares stories of his cross-country bike trip inspired by #BlackBirdersWeek, and the friends discuss how the “tree of life” is not only a powerful metaphor for understanding evolutionary relationships but also for thinking about diversity, unity, the history of life and humanity’s place in it. Follow Scott on Twitter at @ScottVEdwards1, and learn more about his amazing work at the links below!https://edwards.oeb.harvard.edu/people/scott-v-edwardshttps://www.iamascientist.info/scott-edwardshttps://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/scott-edwardsScott’s bike journey across America:https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-harvard-ornithology-professor-biking-across-countryhttps://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/8/21/scott-edwards-bike-trip/#BlackBirdersWeek: https://www.audubon.org/news/black-birders-week-promotes-diversity-and-takes-racism-outdoorshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/black-birders-call-out-racism-say-nature-should-be-for-everyone/https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2020/06/i-cant-even-enjoy-blackbirdersweek-organizer-shares-her-struggles-black-scientistSystemic Racism in Higher Education (Science letter): https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6510/1440.2Harvard Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology: https://oeb.harvard.edu/Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology: https://mcz.harvard.edu/Where Song Began: Australia’s Birds and How They Changed the World: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Song-Began-Australias-Changed/dp/0300221665Related episodes:That is How an Evolutionary Biologist Do (Matt Wilkins): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-matt-wilkins-that-is-how-an-evolutionary-biologist-do/id1471423633?i=1000464730144The Lizarding World of Afro Herper (Earyn McGee): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/38-earyn-mcgee-the-lizarding-world-of-afro-herper/id1471423633?i=1000468800901